Picket fence



May 8, 1934. M, T wH N 1,958,290

PICKET FENCE Filed Aug. 3, 1931 1?? U677 Eor.

Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to and has for its object a novel form of stake that is derived or split from a sapling but utilizes the wood of the sapling more advantageously then heretofore in that a sapling made into stakes embodying the present invention can cover about forty per cent more area than heretofore.

The stake embodying the invention has a variety of uses. It can constitute the pickets of a fence and can be woven into a fence fabric. It is resilient and has considerable flexibility and can constitute the frames of articles of furniture and can be made or woven into mats.

The stake embodying the present invention has the natural arcuate face of the sapling, either with the bark on, or peeled, as may be desired, for one of its faces and has its opposite face smooth and plane and its edge faces preferably presenting a split appearance, since ordinarily it is not necessary to smooth the edge faces, and arranged perpendicularly to the outer natural surface and inclined toward the smooth surface.

Fig. 1 presents an end view of a stake embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a sapling and illustrating the manner of splitting the shakes from which the stake is made.

Fig. 3 is an end view of a shake and illustrating the manner of shaping it to produce the stake of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a section of woven fence fabric incorporating the stakes of this invention.

Fig. 5 is an end view of two of the stakes of the fence fabric of Fig. i and illustrating the manner in which the shape of the stake lends itself to receive the binding wires of the fabric.

Fig. 6 is an end view of a different form of fencing wherein the stakes are secured edge to edge with their smooth faces against a fence rail and presenting their natural arcuate surfaces outermost.

Fig. '7 is an end view of a form of fabric or mat wherein the stakes are in close side by side order with their split edge faces in contact and exposing alternate natural and smooth faces.

The sapling 10 of Fig. 2, from which stakes embodying the present invention are derived, is generally circular in cross-section and has the natural outer face 12 which may have the bark thereon or it may be peeled. The sapling can vary considerably in diameter and the diameter determines the width and also, to a certain extent. the thickness of the stake. The length of the sapling is that required to provide the desired length of the stake.

Saplings are selected which have a reasonably straight grain with the growth rings concentric with the center or heart of the wood. For most uses ash is the preferred wood although other species of wood can be used for many purposes. Ash, however, is strong and resilient, has a straight growth and splits truly.

In accordance with this invention the sapling is split radially along its length, and preferably quartered, along the right-angularly disposed diametrical lines a-a and 17-1), into four sectional shakes 14. An end view of one of the shakes is illustrated in Fig. 3. Each quarter-section, or shake has the outer face 12, which is the outer face of the sapling, and two right angularly disposed edge faces 16 which are at right angles to the grain rings of the wood and which present a rived or split appearance.

The stake embodying the present invention is finished from the shake by removing the heart wood 18 of the shake along the line c--c in a suitable manner, usually by a shave. The result is the segmental stake 20 an end View of which is illustrated in Fig. l. The stake has the natural rough and arcuate outer face 12 of the sapling, the opposite smooth face 22 formed by removing the heart wood of the shake, and the two edge faces 16 which are of equal width and present rived or split appearance and subtend between them a ninety degree angle. The stake can be thick or thin, depending upon how much heart wood of the sapling is removed from the shake. Preferably the stake is relatively thin so that it has a substantial amount of flexibility.

The stake constructed as thus described is especially adapted for many uses. It can be woven into a fence fabric as illustrated in Fig. 4-. wherein the stakes 20 comprise fence pickets and are bound in between parallel courses 24 of pairs of binding wires 26 and 28 that are twisted together at 30 between the pickets as is illustrated in Fig. 5. The arcuate face 12 of the stake and the inclined edge faces 16 which adjoin the fiat face 22 of the stake serve to guide the binding wires gradually and without abrupt or sharp angles into the twist 30 between adjacent stakes. Thus the wires readily can be conformed to the surfaces of the stakes and engage them tightly.

The fiat faces 22 of the stakes are also important when the stakes comprise pickets that are applied to the rail 32 of a frame fence, as in Fig. 6. By reason of the flat faces, the stakes can be secured to and lie flat against the flat face of the rail with the juxtaposed side edges of the stakes in contact, as illustrated, whereby to provide a substantially unbroken natural face 12, or the stakes can be spaced apart in an obvious manner.

The stakes also can be arranged to form a mat as in Fig. 7 wherein the stakes present alternate natural faces 12 and smooth faces 22 and the edge faces 16 are in contact over substantially their full area and so permit the stakes to be arranged in a close formation to form a tight structure.

Stakes constructed in accordance with the present invention when placed in juxtaposed order, in, the manner illustrated. in Figs. and 6, for instance, cover approximately forty percent more surface and are, therefore, that much more economical of material than the usual stake made by halving a sapling.

The stakes also lend themselves advantageously to other formations than those shown by reason of their configuration, strength, resiliency and flexibility.

I claim:

1. A fence stake derived from a sapling and having the arcuate natural outer face of the sapling for one face and a smooth plane opposite face, and opposed radial edge faces and is long between said edge faces and thin between said arcuate and said plane faces.

2. A fence stake derived from a sapling and having the arcuate natural outer face of the sapling for one face and a smooth plane opposite face, and opposed radial edge faces and which subtend between them an angle of approximately ninety degrees and is long between said edge faces and thin between said arcuate and said plane faces.

3. A fence stake derived from a sapling and having the arcuate natural outer face of the sapling for one face and a smooth plane opposite face, and opposed radial edge faces of equal width which are perpendicular to the grain rings of the stake and is long between said edge faces and thin between said arcuate and said plane faces.

4. A fence comprising a plurality of stakes each derived from a sapling and having the arcuate natural outer face of the sapling for one face, a smooth plane face opposed to said arcuate face, and rived radial edge faces, said stakes being arranged side by side in parallel relation with their arcuate faces, in adjacent stakes, facing in opposite directions and the rived radial faces of adjacent stakes confronting each other.

5. A fence comprising a plurality of stakes each derived from a sapling and having the arcuate natural outer face of the saplin for one face, a smooth plane face opposed to said arcuate face, and. radial edge faces, said stakes being arranged side by side in parallel relation with the radial faces of adjacent stakes confronting each other, and binding Wires in contact with all faces of said stakes and twisted together between the stakes for connecting them together,

the arcuate and radial faces of said stakes guiding the binding wires easily into the twist.

MAURICE T. WRITING. 

